Oct. 29, 2006: Heavy wind topples a 165-foot-tall construction crane being used at Maine Medical Center in Portland onto three nearby residential buildings, damaging all of them.
The incident displaces about a dozen people, but nobody is injured.
The collapse, reported about 9:56 a.m., prompts authorities to close off affected streets and to reroute traffic elsewhere.
The crane collapse is just one example of the damage inflicted by the stormy weather, which features gusts of more than 70 mph. Fallen power lines and tree limbs abound throughout the region.
The same day the crane is blown over, a falling tree lands on a moving car on Westbrook Street in South Portland, injuring five people, according to a police dispatcher. The wind also rips the roof off the Cookie Jar Bakery in Cape Elizabeth.
Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. To get a signed copy use promo code signedbyjoe at checkout. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
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